Chester Nez

Chester Nez

By: Haley Dahlke

              Chester Nez, now at the age of 92, is the last living of the 29 original Navajo code talkers from WWII. This was a major turning point during the war because the code talkers developed the only code that the Japanese could not break during the war. “I am proud to say I was one of the guys that developed the code,” Chester said as he talked about the succession of the code. I learned that Chester had to go through many hardships going to school as a child, such as being forced to learn a new language and not being allowed to speak his native language. He was quite stubborn to these rules which proved to be helpful as he grew older because it helped him to think under pressure. Chester needed to have a lot of physical and mental strength, and this ability helped him to be successful in the war. I feel that Louis Zamperini and Chester can relate to each other in many different ways including how they each shared their story with the world, and they both needed a lot of strength to get through the war. In conclusion, Chester Nez had been through a lot as a child, but that didn't discourage him. When him and the 28 other Navajo Indians were recruited, they took this as a new opportunity to turn their lives around and accomplish something that they wouldn't be able to do if they stayed on their reserve. They definitely accomplished this when they made this unbreakable code that helped the U.S. win the war.